acoustic adaptation hypothesis

https://glossary.acousti.cloud/acoustic_adaptation_hypothesis

Acronym: AAH

en

"The hypothesis that animals sound signals have evolved to maximise transmission accounting for habitat properties [1,2]. Support for this hypothesis is mixed [3]." (from the Acoustic Index User's Guide)

References:
  1. Marten K, Marler P. Sound transmission and its significance for animal vocalization: I. Temperate habitats. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 1977;2(3):271-290. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299740.
  2. Morton ES. Ecological Sources of Selection on Avian Sounds. The American Naturalist. 1975;109(965):17-34. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1086/282971.
  3. Boncoraglio G, Saino N. Habitat structure and the evolution of bird song: a meta-analysis of the evidence for the acoustic adaptation hypothesis. Functional Ecology. 2007;21(1):134-142. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01207.x.; Bradfer-Lawrence et al. (2023), Methods in Ecology and Evolution, glossary of key ecoacoustic terms. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14194

All terms

To cite this website:

Ed Baker (2026) Bioacoustics & Ecoacoustics Glossary (https://glossary.acousti.cloud/). Accessed on October 6, 2026, 11:17 pm.